SAN FRANCISCO — Jim Harbaugh apparently has an inkling of who his kicker will be for Saturday's NFC playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. He might even reveal his decision a whopping 90 minutes before kickoff.

Generally this wouldn't be particularly bothersome, because as we've learned, Harbaugh's choices tend to be dipped in gold. He shrewdly pronounced Colin Kaepernick the starting quarterback over the incumbent Alex Smith in November, a decision the San Francisco 49ers have yet to regret.

But this deal with the kickers is a whole other frothing animal. Early January is hardly the prime time for players to compete for a job, but here are the 'Niners and Harbaugh, asking two guys to lay their talent, their guts and, especially, their mental state atop the training table for everyone to explore and examine.

Will Harbaugh stick with the tried-and-lately-not-always-true David Akers, his regular kicker for two seasons who is dealing with a flare-up of a double sports hernia that was operated on last February? And if Akers' psyche softened during his shaky latter half of the season — death threats he received via Twitter hardly calmed matters – what must his confidence be like now that Harbaugh has pulled the rug from underneath and brought in a challenger?

Late in the fourth quarter amidst the medusa swirls of Candlestick Park isn't the optimal place for a kicker to prove the size of his intestines.

On the other side of this peculiar cage match is Billy Cundiff, the well-traveled free agent contender who was ushered from the team's practice facility in Santa Clara to the 'Stick the other day (sans Akers), to sample the winds and the mad conditions and faulty generators and presumably all the other wacky factors that make the joint so infuriatingly unique.

Pictures of Cundiff testing Candlestick's field found their way to a Facebook page, sparking more fingernail peeling from a fan base that still wakes in a cold sweat with visions of return punts slipping through the hands of Kyle Williams. The Candlestick turf, hardly in pristine condition during the 49ers' final regular-season game two weeks ago, might not have been as awful as FedEx Field, but its natural grass did have a worrisome cue ball sheen.

"From what I've been told, new turf was put down three weeks ago. That comes from our general manager who says that, and says the field's going to be in good shape," Harbaugh said at Wednesday's press conference, though not a soul would be shocked if come Saturday night, something involving the 'Stick goes awry.

Harbaugh also upped the intrigue surrounding the kicking sideshow, saying that Akers has been striking the ball well and has responded admirably to the presence of Cundiff.

"So far, so good," Harbaugh said of Akers' practice performance. "He's had a very good week; this week and last week."

The coach didn't reveal much about whatever is spinning around the kickers' respective brains, though naturally Harbaugh has done all he can to probe them. Because this particular battle is far more about the mind than the leg.

It is Cundiff who this time last year missed a chip-shot field-goal try from 32 yards as his then-team, the Baltimore Ravens, trailed by three points, with 15 seconds left in the AFC Championship game. It is also Cundiff who speaks with the blunt confidence of a window washer on the world's highest skyscraper even though he has spent much of the season trying to find a home.

"It's hard for people on the outside to understand, but I moved on to a clean slate right after it happened. I can't let field goals I miss or field goals I make stick in my head, positive or negative, because each kick and each game is something new," said Cundiff, who worked out for the 49ers earlier this season, along with six other teams, after the Washington Redskins released him in October.

With the Redskins, Cundiff hardly caused eyes to pop. He made 7-of-12 field-goal attempts, missing from 62 and 57 yards. His struggles from 50-plus yards, along with whether his rushed tryout is enough time to find synergy with a new snapper and holder, is reason enough for Harbaugh to look as if he's aged a month during the bye week.

For advice, Harbaugh could ring his brother John, who coached Cundiff from 2009-11 before Cundiff's Ravens' career ended with that disastrous snap-hook against the Patriots. But Harbaugh said the siblings have not talked about that kick specifically. The Ravens recovered, but what if the West Coast Harbaugh defies the norm, brings in Cundiff and Cundiff again costs his team a playoff game?

What if Harbaugh sticks with Akers, his veteran, only to see his hair-pulling skid continue? A year ago Akers was at the tail end of a record-breaking All-Pro season. He was as sure as a gumball is round, but few knew he was dealing with that double sports hernia. It began to flare this November after he fell during a kickoff. Injections have helped calm the inflammation, but not his scattered rhythm.

After nailing his first six field-goal attempts this season, he made only 23 of his past 36, six of the misses occurring in games the 49ers lost or tied. The man who in 2011 had 44 field goals, an NFL record, now must not only audition for his job, but also prove his guts are large enough to handle the pressure of a win-or-be-done game.

Akers hasn't spoken to reporters much in the past few days, except to say his health is fine and he doesn't expect he'll need more surgery. There have been reports of the team providing Akers with a sports psychologist, a luxury that ought to be required for anyone who earns a paycheck dodging violent missiles.

Harbaugh did admit it's "conceivable" both kickers will be activated for Saturday's game, a scenario that could cause Candlestick to get even more juicy as the night grows long. Deep in the fourth quarter of a close game, with a trip to the NFC Championship beckoning, who does Harbaugh call?